News List

March 15, 2013Here is the latest edition of Week In Review - a series of weekly messages from the Mayor and City Council to help Richardson residents and businesses keep up to date on events at City Hall.

News Briefs

Several Bands Announced to Perform at Wildflower! Festival

Charlie Daniels

Gretchen Wilson

Wildflower! Festival organizers announced this week that several acts have signed on to perform at the event, set for May 17-19 at Galatyn Park. Southern rock legend Charlie Daniels Band will perform on Friday, May 17, and country star Gretchen Wilson will open for them.

Three rock bands, 38 Special, Grand Funk Railroad and Blue Oyster Cult, have also signed on for the festival and will play Saturday, May 18. Alternative rock band Spin Doctors have been announced to play on Friday, May 17.

38 Special

Grand Funk Railroad

Blue Oyster Cult

Festival organizers made the announcements earlier this week on the Wildflower! Facebook page. Fans of the Wildflower! Facebook page will be the first to know about additional performer announcements as they are posted to the site in the coming weeks.

The information will also be included on the Festival’s website, the City’s homepage, and the Richardson Today Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Richardson Highlighted as a Hot Real Estate Market
Richardson has been featured as a hot real estate market in the Dallas-Fort Worth edition of Bisnow, an online publication that covers local business professionals and projects. The story highlights recent leases to State Farm, American Contractors Insurance Group and Texas Capital Bank. It also lists ease of transportation, value for operating a business and presence of UT Dallas and its research students as reasons companies are coming to the Telecom Corridor area.

Council Awards Bid for Alley Reconstruction
The City Council approved a bid this week that maintains progress on the installation of replacement alley segments that are part of the 2010 Bond Program.

The City Council on Monday awarded a bid of $733,369 to Muniz Construction, Inc. for alley reconstruction and sanitary sewer replacement adjacent to Greenleaf, Ridgedale and Lockwood drives. The project includes the installation of 10-foot wide reinforced concrete alley pavement, related sidewalk and a concrete curb. It is funded through the 2010 Bond Program and Water and Sewer Fund.

Construction is expected to begin in May and be complete by October. Utility relocations are still pending, which may affect the schedule.

TxDOT to Study US-75 Corridor from I-635 to Highway 121
The City Council on Monday discussed an ongoing TxDOT study of US-75 from I-635 to Highway 121. The study is designed to identify and address mobility needs in the corridor to meet future growth, enhance quality of life, support economic development and improve public safety.

The City of Richardson is developing a vision statement for the project, which identifies goals the City has for the project. Preliminary goals include finding congestion relief on both sides of US-75 and keeping the highway from becoming a greater vertical barrier. The City is also seeking to keep the highway easily accessible for local drivers and enhance pedestrian and bicycle mobility across the corridor.

Study leaders are examining several transportation alternatives in the corridor, including the addition of freeway lanes and managed lanes, arterial improvements and public transportation enhancements.

Council Hears I-635 Construction Update (includes link to I-635 rendering video)
The City Council heard an update at its work session Monday on the LBJ Express, a project to rebuild the LBJ Freeway from Greenville Avenue to I-35 E and renovate part of I-35E. One of the highlights of the presentation was a video that provides a computer-generated aerial tour of the finished project. The five-minute video is available to view online at http://bit.ly/X4XQLX.

The project will retain the same number of current freeway lanes and add express managed toll lanes to nearly double capacity and help ease congestion on the 17-mile stretch of highway by 2016. The section of I-635 between Montfort Drive and Greenville Avenue is expected to be the first to be complete by the end of this year.

The LBJ Express is designed to allow drivers to choose between freeway lanes or managed toll lanes depending on the nature of their trip. Toll rates will vary between 15 and 55 cents per mile depending on the time of day and traffic levels. The project is expected to accommodate population growth for the next 30 years.

The Richardson Animal Shelter has released two QR codes that link directly to its website and Facebook pages. By scanning the code with a QR code reader on a smartphone, users can view animals available for adoption, read shelter news, become a fan on Facebook or interact online.

Council Hears Update on Recreation, Aquatic Center Construction
The City Council received a progress report at its Monday work session on the construction of Heights Recreation Center and Family Aquatic Center. The Recreation Center project is running on schedule to open May 28, and the Aquatic Center progress is slightly behind because of utility issues and weather-related delays. It is expected to open in July 2013.

The new 25,000-square-foot recreation center will include a dedicated game room, full-sized gymnasium, classrooms, multipurpose rooms and workout rooms. The aquatic center will have 8,000 square-feet of surface water and will feature a zero-entry pool with splash playground, current channel, vortex pool, instructional water area, lap swim, double flume slide and more. Both facilities are designed to fit with the surrounding neighborhoods’ midcentury modern architecture, and the rec center is designed to be certified as LEED silver.

Crime Prevention Faith Based Conference is March 23
The Richardson Police Department Crime Prevention Unit will present the fourth annual Faith Based Crime Prevention Conference from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 23 at Canyon Creek Baptist Church, 2800 Custer Parkway. The conference theme is “Women and Crime Prevention: A Holistic Approach” and will focus on how women can keep themselves safe at home, in the community and at their places of worship.

The conference is free and will give attendees information to make an informed and educated decision about safety. The conference will feature topics on situational awareness, crime prevention techniques, personal safety and identity theft.

Several speakers will present information on crime prevention, victimization and overcoming a traumatic crime event. Security vendors will be in attendance showing and explaining products that can be used for residential safety, personal safety and houses of worship.

DART to Use Off-Wire Capable Streetcars in 2014
Richardson residents will soon be able to take the DART red line downtown to access innovative new light rail streetcars that connect at Union Station. DART announced plans to purchase two Liberty Modern Streetcars from Brookville Equipment Corporation for use at downtown Dallas extension between Union Station and Oak Cliff set to open in late 2014. DART will become the first U.S. public transit agency to use American designed and manufactured off-wire capable streetcars.

About one mile of the 1.6-mile track will be off-wire and be powered through a battery energy storage system. The streetcars are 66.5 feet long and will have three passenger compartments with more than 70 percent low-floor area to provide accessible seating.

Sally Mayes at Eisemann Center
The Eisemann Center will continue its Off-Broadway Cabaret Series with Tony nominee Sally Mayes performing “Story Hour” at 7 p.m. tonight. “Story Hour” features a variety of songs that tell the story of a woman’s journey through life.

Tickets cost $38 for cabaret seating or $30 for fixed seating in the Bank of America Theatre and may be purchased at www.eisemanncenter.com or by calling 972-744-4650. A bar will be located in the venue for beverages and small snacks. The show will be performed without intermission and last about 70 minutes.

“Spamalot” Visits the Eisemann Center
Monty Python’s Spamalot will be performed at the Eisemann Center at 7:30 p.m. March 19 and 20. The show is lovingly “ripped-off” from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail and is the winner of three 2005 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Director.

“Skippyjon Jones” Comes to Eisemann Center
Skippyjon Jones is coming to the Eisemann Center for one performance at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 17. The show is based upon the book by Judy Schachner about a little kitten with big ears and an even bigger imagination.

Flashlight “Egg”streme March 23
The Flashlight “Egg”streme annual night Easter egg hunt will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at Breckinridge Park, Entrance C. Children age 7 to 11 will work on an Easter craft as parents hide the eggs. After the eggs are hidden, they will use a flashlight to search for them. Prizes will be awarded for finding a “golden” egg, so parents are asked to let children hunt independently. The evening will conclude with s’mores.

Register for the Flashlight “Egg”streme by visiting www.cor.net/parksonline and using course #71561. Space is limited. Cost is $10 for children, no fee for adults.

Reminder for AARP Tax Help
Tax-Aide, sponsored by AARP and the IRS, will provide free tax return preparation and e-filing for low to moderate income taxpayers, with an emphasis on seniors. The service is available from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays at the Senior Center and noon to 4 p.m. Mondays at the Library.

Help is available on a first-come, first-served basis. People should bring Social Security cards and all pertinent tax forms, including Social Security statements.

RCAS Meeting to Feature Watercolor Demonstration
The Richardson Civic Art Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, at the Richardson Public Library. This month’s meeting will feature a watercolor demonstration from artist Nel Dorn Byrd.

RCAS meets on the third Tuesday of the month and is open to all. It is supported in part by the City of Richardson through its Arts Commission. To learn more, visit www.richardson-arts.org.

DART Offers Service for St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Richardson residents can take the DART red line to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday in Dallas. The agency will run additional light rail trains to take people to the parade, which begins at 11 a.m. Riders are encouraged to exit at Mockingbird or Lovers Lane for easy access to the parade.
A Day Pass costs $5 and may be used for unlimited rides the day of purchase. For more information, visit www.dart.org or call 214-979-1111.

Richardson Animal Shelter Pet of the Week
This sweet kitty is Salem! She was found in Richardson and brought in to us March 5. She is an all black domestic short haired female. Very friendly and cuddles. She is only 9 months old. Contact the Animal Shelter (972-744-4480) about Salem or other animals available for adoption.